OpenSubdiv is a set of open source libraries that implement high-performance subdivision surface (subdiv) evaluation on massively parallel CPU and GPU architectures. The code embodies decades of research and experience by Pixar.

Bill Polson, Dirk Van Gelder, Manuel Kraemer, Takahito Tejima, David G. Yu and Dale Ruffolo, from Pixar Animation Studios’ GPU team, as they show how real-time display of subdivision surfaces helps artists be more productive, and how this code is open source and engineered for ease of integration.

Admittedly, this is a “sales pitch” about buying Autodesk / Maya, however the same technology is accessible in Blender.